Can a country still call itself a democracy, founded on the notions of truth and justice and a free press, if it suppresses state crimes and forbids journalists publishing classified information when that reveals the crimes of elites? If damning information implicates the powerful, how much will the public tolerate the inversion of law by those same elites to exact revenge on journalists for exposing the truth?
Those are some of the questions that I had this past week when President Joe Biden hosted a summit for the U.S. and other countries to demonstrate their commitment to democracy and human rights — the same week the U.S. won its appeal to extradite Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, under the archaic Espionage Act, for exposing American war crimes and human rights abuses.
Covered-up videos of troops killing journalists and civilians. Censored documents that show the torture of prisoners in Iraq. Records of mass illegal surveillance of American citizens. Assange exposed these crimes and more, committed during the Bush and Obama administrations.
United States official statements and policy are often full of hypocrisy — pledging to be a leader in the climate crisis and immediately opening up 80 million acres to drilling comes to mind — but the Justice Department’s maleficent, single-minded mission to imprison Assange for exposing the truth is the epitome of injustice.
Juxtapose that with the official double talk of defending democracy and a free society heard at this summit and in recent years. It’s a national shame.
— Richard McGowan, Madison, Wisconsin
Messenger isn’t to blame
Regarding Julian Assange: If you don’t like the message, shoot the messenger. Wait! Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to shoot the guy who actually committed the crimes the messenger reported on? Why would you ever treat like a criminal the guy who reported it when the guy who did it is the only one who deserves punishment?
Or is this a case in which the guy who controls the Justice Department did something bad, got exposed for his crime by a messenger and now wants everyone to think it’s the messenger who did wrong?
I see a Vladimir Putin strategy or a Viktor Orban strategy at work here, not one exactly well suited for a democracy.
— Lee Knohl, Evanston
Mandate proof of vaccination
It is well past the time for Chicago to begin mandating proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter bars, restaurants, gyms, arenas and other public spaces, such as libraries and museums.
San Francisco, New York City and New Orleans enacted this type of mandate months ago.
Rex Huppke’s Dec 9 column (“With delta surging and omicron arriving, Chicago should make proof of vaccination the norm”) was dedicated to this issue. Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s public health commissioner, is quoted: “Might we begin requiring proof of vaccination for more activities and public spaces? Yes, we might.”
Shutting down businesses, as was done last year, is not the answer now that we have a readily available vaccine. Shutdowns merely punish both the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
People have a right to not get the vaccine. But for us vaccinated citizens, don’t we have the right to eat out or see a movie without risking our health, and the health of others?
Pass the mandate.
— Helen Milgrom, Chicago
Disheartened by state of nation
Usually, I have no trouble writing our annual Christmas letter that we send to friends and relatives who are out of state and not seen regularly. But not this year.
Eight months ago, I would have thought that I would be expressing gratitude for the pandemic being soon behind us, masks tossed in the trash and hugs no longer taboo. Instead, I am disheartened and disturbed that a large segment of our population is refusing lifesaving vaccines, believes an election was stolen, and doesn’t care that our democracy teetered on the brink Jan. 6 and that a deeply flawed man holds power that no one American should have.
What has happened to our country? Why is it dangerous for a Black man to go jogging? Why is Oxford High School just another school shooting and not a rallying cry for stricter gun laws?
Why are election officials threatened for stating that the election results were accurate? I don’t have the answers, only the questions. My wish, though, this Christmas season, is that Americans would examine their hearts and shed racism, bigotry, hatred and xenophobia.
But that would take a miracle, wouldn’t it?
— Barbara Bolling Rimington, Elmhurst
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